HealthBeathttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat
The world we live in influences our health in some weird ways. Highlights of unusual health issues, stories and studies making the news around the world.Thu, 30 Jul 2015 23:50:26 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.7More Washington boys getting HPV vaccinehttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/30/more-washington-boys-getting-hpv-vaccine/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/30/more-washington-boys-getting-hpv-vaccine/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 23:50:26 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1115New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of teens getting the human papillomavirus vaccine increased slightly but that many adolescents are still not getting vaccinated. In Washington, however, “significantly more” teen boys are getting vaccinated against HPV, according to the state health department. According to the CDC, about […]]]>

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the number of teens getting the human papillomavirus vaccine increased slightly but that many adolescents are still not getting vaccinated.

In Washington, however, “significantly more” teen boys are getting vaccinated against HPV, according to the state health department.

According to the CDC, about 40 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys 13 to 17 years old have not started the recommended HPV vaccine series. The CDC recommends starting the three-dose series when children are 11 to 12 years old.

The latest estimates from the CDC show that 60 percent of girls and 42 percent of boys have received one or more doses of the vaccine. That’s an increase of three percentage points for girls and eight percentage points for boys from the 2013 estimates.

Some state and local areas achieved “much larger increases” in coverage, according to the CDC.

Washington immunization rates for teens rose in every vaccine and dose, except for the third HPV dose for teen girls, according to the health department.

In Washington, 66 percent of adolescent girls have received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. About 54 percent of boys have received one dose or more, according to the CDC data.

But only 44 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys received all three doses, according to the data.

The HPV vaccines protect against the virus strains that cause 75 percent of cervical cancers. In August, the state health department is launching a statewide campaign aimed at improving HPV vaccine rates.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/30/more-washington-boys-getting-hpv-vaccine/feed/0Study: Docs don’t provide new moms with infant care advicehttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/28/study-docs-dont-provide-new-moms-with-infant-care-advice/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/28/study-docs-dont-provide-new-moms-with-infant-care-advice/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 00:23:19 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1112After delivering baby, many new mothers are sent home without receiving infant care advice from their physicians. A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that many new moms do not receive recommendations on sleep position, breastfeeding, immunization and pacifier use from their physicians. The study surveyed 1,030 new mothers about infant […]]]>

After delivering baby, many new mothers are sent home without receiving infant care advice from their physicians.

A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that many new moms do not receive recommendations on sleep position, breastfeeding, immunization and pacifier use from their physicians.

The study surveyed 1,030 new mothers about infant care advice they received from doctors, nurses, family members and news media. The survey also explored whether the advice mothers received was in line with professional recommendations.

About 20 percent of mothers said they didn’t receive any advice from their physician regarding current recommendations on breastfeeding or on placing infants to sleep on their backs (a practice proven to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS).

More than 50 percent of mothers received no advice on where their infants should sleep, according to the survey. Room-sharing with parents (but not bed-sharing) is the recommended practice for safe infant sleep).

“As a physician, these findings made me stop and really think about how we communicate important information to new parents,” said Dr. Staci R. Eisenberg, a study author and pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, in a news release. “We may need to be clearer and more specific in telling new mothers about safe sleep recommendations.”

According to the survey, black women, Hispanic women and first-time mothers were more likely to receive advice from their doctors than white women and mothers of two or more children.

When physicians did give advice, it tended to be consistent with practitioner groups’ recommendations, according to the study.

However, 10 to 15 percent of advice given on breastfeeding and pacifier use was not consistent with recommendations and more than 25 percent was not consistent with recommendations for sleep position or location, according to the study.

Of the women who reported physician advice on sleep position that was inconsistent with recommendations, 85 percent reported being advised to place the infant on his or her back and at least one other position (usually the side, which has an increased risk for SIDS), according to the study.

Of the more than 32 percent of mothers reporting family advice inconsistent with recommendations, 51 percent had been told to place infants on their stomach (which is associated with the greatest increased risk for SIDS), according to the study.

“Physicians and others in a position to offer advice to mothers may fail to do so because they do not know about recommendations or because they disagree with a recommendation,” according to the news release. “Physicians also may be reluctant to give a recommendation they believe is controversial or one that might lead to a lengthy conversation, especially if they are facing time constraints during busy office hours.”

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/28/study-docs-dont-provide-new-moms-with-infant-care-advice/feed/0Poor oral health tied to school absenceshttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/23/poor-oral-health-tied-to-school-absences/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/23/poor-oral-health-tied-to-school-absences/#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2015 23:06:07 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1109Dental problems caused more than 30 percent of students to miss time in the classroom, according to a new survey. Delta Dental conducted a survey of parents across the country; 31 percent of parents said their children between the ages of 6 and 12 had to miss school due to an oral health problem. “These […]]]>

Dental problems caused more than 30 percent of students to miss time in the classroom, according to a new survey.

Delta Dental conducted a survey of parents across the country; 31 percent of parents said their children between the ages of 6 and 12 had to miss school due to an oral health problem.

“These statistics are consistent with what I’m seeing, but unlike other childhood diseases, cavities are preventable,” said Joel Berg, a board certified pediatric dentist, in a news release from Delta Dental.

The survey asked parents how much school their kids missed due to oral health issues.

-18 percent said children missed at least half a day of school.

-4 percent missed one day.

-4 percent missed two days.

-6 percent missed three or more days.

Children in the Northeast racked up the most absences – 36 percent of parents said their kids missed school – followed by the South (33 percent), Midwest (28 percent) and the West (28 percent).

In addition to causing kids to miss time in the classroom, dental problems can also impact early childhood learning, according to Delta Dental.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/23/poor-oral-health-tied-to-school-absences/feed/0Find your personal calorie numberhttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/20/find-your-personal-calorie-number/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/20/find-your-personal-calorie-number/#commentsTue, 21 Jul 2015 00:26:09 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1106Ever wonder how many calories you should be eating in order to maintain your weight or drop a few pounds? The folks at the National Institutes of Health have you covered. They created a handy online tool for identifying personal calorie numbers. The tool is designed for use by adults – not children, pregnant or […]]]>

Ever wonder how many calories you should be eating in order to maintain your weight or drop a few pounds?

The folks at the National Institutes of Health have you covered. They created a handy online tool for identifying personal calorie numbers.

The tool is designed for use by adults – not children, pregnant or breastfeeding women – and as a goal-setting resource.

The tool, called Body Weight Planner, provides a personalized calorie number based on your height, weight, age, activity level and weight-loss goals.

The Body Weight Planner is part of the USDA’s SuperTracker, which allows people to track food, physical activities and weight.

“We originally intended the Body Weight Planner as a research tool, but so many people wanted to use it for their own weight management that we knew we needed to adapt it with more information about how to achieve a healthy lifestyle,” said Kevin Hall, who led creation of the Planner and is a senior investigator with the NIH, in a news release.

First, the tool asks for your weight, sex, age, height and physical activity level. Next, you enter your goal weight and when you hope to achieve that goal weight (either a specific date or a number of days).

Then, the tool asks how you plan to change your physical activity – whether you plan to add or remove an activity and for how long and frequently you will do (or not do) the activity.

With that data, the tool computes three personal calorie numbers: One is the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight; one is the number of calories needed to reach your goal weight; and one is the number of calories to maintain your goal weight.

The tool reflects “the discovery that the widely accepted paradigm that reducing 3,500 calories will shed one pound of weight does not account for slowing metabolism as people change their diet and physical activities,” according to the news release.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/20/find-your-personal-calorie-number/feed/0The pill without a prescriptionhttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/16/the-pill-without-a-prescription/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/16/the-pill-without-a-prescription/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 00:23:32 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1104Two states will soon allow women to get birth control pills without a physician’s prescription. California and Oregon has passed laws that will allow women to get hormonal contraceptives directly from their pharmacists. That’s not to say picking up birth control pills will be as easy to get as cold medicine. In California, pharmacists can […]]]>

Two states will soon allow women to get birth control pills without a physician’s prescription.

California and Oregon has passed laws that will allow women to get hormonal contraceptives directly from their pharmacists.

That’s not to say picking up birth control pills will be as easy to get as cold medicine.

In California, pharmacists can only dispense contraceptives after providing a health screening and taking the woman’s blood pressure, according to a CNN article.

Oregon will also require a health screening, but the specifics haven’t been developed, according to the article.

The California law is expected to go into effect after Oct. 1 and Oregon’s law after Jan. 1, according to CNN.

California’s law has no age restriction on patients. But in Oregon, pharmacists will only be able to give new birth control prescriptions to women 18 or older. Women younger than 18 must show proof of prior birth control prescriptions from a physician, according to the article.

The California law will also allow pharmacists to prescribe other medications, such as travel medicines, smoking cessation and naloxone, which is used for opioid overdoses.

Until it goes into effect, however, pharmacists can only provide emergency contraceptives without a prescription, according to CNN.

So how long before Washington follows suit?

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/16/the-pill-without-a-prescription/feed/0Healthy Washington cities, unhealthy Clark Countyhttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/15/healthy-washington-cities-unhealthy-clark-county/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/15/healthy-washington-cities-unhealthy-clark-county/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 20:25:37 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1102When it comes to the healthiest cities in Washington, Clark County is on the outside looking in. NerdWallet, a personal finance website, analyzed data from the Census Bureau, OpenStreetMap, Medicare and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to rank Washington’s healthiest cities. None of Clark County’s cities made the top 10, but Ridgefield is […]]]>

When it comes to the healthiest cities in Washington, Clark County is on the outside looking in.

NerdWallet, a personal finance website, analyzed data from the Census Bureau, OpenStreetMap, Medicare and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to rank Washington’s healthiest cities.

None of Clark County’s cities made the top 10, but Ridgefield is ranked No. 11.

The analysis looked at the proportion of commuters who don’t drive, health insurance coverage, hospital survey rankings, the number of parks per 10,000 residents and the number of McDonald’s locations per 10,000 county residents.

Based on those factors, NerdWallet came up with this list of the top 10 healthiest cities in Washington:

1. Vashon

2. Pullman

3. Union Hill-Novelty Hill

4. Seattle

5. Bainbridge Island

6. Ellensburg

7. North Bend

8. Mercer Island

9. Redmond

10. Bellevue

Ridgefield came in at No. 11. In Ridgefield, only 1 percent of people are non-car commuters but the city only has 17.75 parks per 10,000 residents.

Camas wasn’t far behind in the rankings, coming in at No.13. Washougal is ranked No. 20.

La Center wasn’t included in the analysis. Places with fewer than 5,000 residents were excluded, as were places without park of hospital data.

The rankings also included other areas in Clark County: Lake Shore is No. 53; Felida is No. 54; Minnehaha and Walnut Grove came in at 77th and 78th; Orchards is No. 85; Hazel Dell is 100th; Five Corners is No. 104.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/15/healthy-washington-cities-unhealthy-clark-county/feed/0ACA requirement saves women moneyhttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/08/aca-requirement-saves-women-money/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/08/aca-requirement-saves-women-money/#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 17:17:49 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1099Women saved hundreds of dollars in the first year after the Affordable Care Act required insurers to cover prescription contraceptives. The health law required the coverage of most forms of prescription birth control without additional out-of-pocket costs. The amount women saved and the speed with which they realized those savings surprised researchers, according to the […]]]>

Women saved hundreds of dollars in the first year after the Affordable Care Act required insurers to cover prescription contraceptives.

The health law required the coverage of most forms of prescription birth control without additional out-of-pocket costs. The amount women saved and the speed with which they realized those savings surprised researchers, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The study found that the average birth control pill user saved $255 the year after the requirement took effective, and the average user of an intrauterine device (IUD) saved $248.

“These are healthy women and this on average is their No. 1 need from the health care system,” said Nora Becker, lead author of the study, in the Kaiser article. “On average, these women were spending about 30 to 44 percent of their total out of pocket (health) spending just on birth control.”

For more plans, the requirement began Aug. 1, 2012 or Jan. 1, 2013. Some grandfathered plans are exempt from the mandate, as are some religious-based plans.

Researchers question whether the new requirements will lead to a shift to longer acting methods of birth control.

“If prior to the ACA a woman was facing $10 to $30 a month for the pill but hundreds of dollars upfront for an IUD and now both are free, we might see a different choice,” Becker said in the article.

While spending on most birth control dropped, it didn’t change much for the vaginal ring or hormonal patch. Researchers suspect that’s because under the original rules, many insurers declined to make the ring or patch free since they are essentially hormone delivery methods.

This year, however, the Obama administration made is clear that while insurers don’t have to cover every brand of every method, they do have to cover at least one product in each category.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/08/aca-requirement-saves-women-money/feed/0Most adults favor raising smoking agehttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/07/most-adults-favor-raising-smoking-age/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/07/most-adults-favor-raising-smoking-age/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 22:05:14 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1095The majority of smokers and nonsmokers in a recent survey agree: the smoking age should be raised. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention article, 75 percent of American adults favor raising the minimum age of sale for all tobacco products to 21. That includes about 70 percent of current smokers surveyed, 75 […]]]>

The majority of smokers and nonsmokers in a recent survey agree: the smoking age should be raised.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention article, 75 percent of American adults favor raising the minimum age of sale for all tobacco products to 21.

That includes about 70 percent of current smokers surveyed, 75 percent of former smokers and about 78 percent of never smokers, according to the article.

CDC

About 11 percent of adults strongly opposed making 21 the legal age of sale, while 14 percent were somewhat opposed, according to the article.

“Raising the minimum age of sale to 21 could benefit the health of Americans in several ways,” said Brian King, acting Deputy Director for Research Translation in CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, in a news release. “It could delay the age of first experimenting with tobacco, reducing the likelihood of transitioning to regular use and increasing the likelihood that those who do become regular users can quit.”

In most states, the minimum age of sale for tobacco is 18. In Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah, the minimum age is 19. In Hawaii, the legal age for tobacco sales is 21.

Several cities and counties across the U.S. have adopted laws to raise the minimum age to 21, as well, according to the news release.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/07/most-adults-favor-raising-smoking-age/feed/010,500 fireworks-related injuries in 2014http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/02/10500-fireworks-related-injuries-in-2014/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/02/10500-fireworks-related-injuries-in-2014/#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2015 23:25:00 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1090An average of seven people die each year from fireworks-related injuries. From 2000 to 2014, the U.S. recorded 106 fireworks-related deaths – that includes at least 11 deaths last year, according to a new report. In advance of the Fourth of July, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released its report analyzing fireworks-related deaths and […]]]>

An average of seven people die each year from fireworks-related injuries.

From 2000 to 2014, the U.S. recorded 106 fireworks-related deaths – that includes at least 11 deaths last year, according to a new report.

In advance of the Fourth of July, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released its report analyzing fireworks-related deaths and injuries.

In 2014, an estimated 10,500 people were treated for fireworks injuries in hospital emergency departments. About 67 percent of those injuries (about 7,000 people) were treated during a one-month span, June 20 to July 20.

During the summer study period, 74 percent of the fireworks-related injuries were sustained by males and children younger than 15 years old accounted for 35 percent of injuries, according to the report.

Nearly half of the emergency department injuries were to people younger than 20, but children 5 to 9 years old had the highest rate of injuries (5.2 injuries per 100,000 people), according to the report.

Of the 7,000 summer emergency department injuries, about 1,400 were associated with what most consider to be one of the tamer fireworks: sparklers.

Another 1,400 injuries were associated with firecrackers and 100 with bottle rockets, according to the report.

Burns were the most common injury, with 54 percent of patients treated for burns. The hands and fingers were the parts of the body most often injured (36 percent), followed by head, face and ears (19 percent), eyes (19 percent), legs (10 percent) and arms (5 percent), according to the report.

Most of the injuries were associated with misuse (lighting fireworks in one’s hand, being too close to lit fireworks, dismantling fireworks) or malfunctions of fireworks (errant flight paths, tip-over incidents, early ignitions and blowouts), according to the report.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.

]]>http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/02/10500-fireworks-related-injuries-in-2014/feed/0Most Americans know little, nothing about King v. Burwellhttp://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/01/most-americans-know-little-nothing-about-king-v-burwell/
http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/2015/07/01/most-americans-know-little-nothing-about-king-v-burwell/#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2015 00:15:05 +0000http://blogs.columbian.com/healthbeat/?p=1088More than 60 percent of Americans said they know only a little or nothing at all about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that federal subsidies for health coverage are legal. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest Health Tracking Poll looked at public attention and reaction following the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell, a case […]]]>

More than 60 percent of Americans said they know only a little or nothing at all about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that federal subsidies for health coverage are legal.

The Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest Health Tracking Poll looked at public attention and reaction following the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell, a case that challenged the legality of health insurance subsidies in states with federally operated exchanges (as opposed to state-run exchanges, such as our state’s Washington Healthplanfinder.

Public awareness of the King v. Burwell case has inched up since the media began covering the case late last year, according to the poll.

In December, 84 percent of people said they knew little or nothing about the case. By early June, that number had dropped to 72 percent.

Still, even after the ruling, 31 percent of people said they knew “nothing at all” about the case and 30 percent said they knew “only a little,” according to the poll.

“A number of other high-profile news stories garnered more attention than King v. Burwell this month,” according to the foundation.

The mass shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. was followed closely by 79 percent of Americans. About 64 percent of people followed the Supreme Court case on same-sex marriage closely, and the manhunt for two men who escaped from a New York prison had 61 percent of Americans following closely, according to the poll.

About half (52 percent) of Americans said they were following King v. Burwell fairly closely (34 percent) or very closely (18 percent), according to the poll.

More interesting findings from the latest poll:

-39 percent are aware the Supreme Court announced its final ruling; 38 percent believed it had not ruled.

-Of the 39 percent who knew the Supreme Court made a ruling, 30 percent knew the ruling was to keep the law as is.

-62 percent of people approved of the Supreme Court’s decision; 32 percent disapproved.

The Supreme Court ruling doesn’t appear to have had an immediate impact on the public’s overall opinion of the ACA, according to the foundation poll.

Americans remain split, with 43 percent reporting a favorable view and 40 percent reporting an unfavorable view. That divide is statistically unchanged from the last few months, according to the foundation.

Marissa Harshman

I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.